Two Kings

Chapter 1

Rico sucks on a cigarette and stares at his phone as the justice of the peace officiates our marriage. 

He doesn't look me in the eye until he slips the wedding ring on my finger.

 When he does, his green eyes look angry, which has me breaking eye contact.

This is not a joyous occasion for either of us. Especially for me—either I marry Rico, or my family dies.

When the JP declares us husband and wife, I sob, and Rico blows out a mouthful of smoke before he walks away with his team of security hovering around him. My mother takes me in her arms and presses a kiss to my forehead. 

"Lexi, you did what you had to. You saved us. Bless you!"

My brother and two sisters hug me as if this is a blissful occasion, when in fact it's the worst day of my life.

Instead of posing for a picture, my new husband takes himself off to the dining room to feast on the food spread across the table with his girlfriend.

I feared he would resent me for being forced to take on his brother's burden, and now that I know he does, I'm petrified to be his wife. I don't want to be tied to a man whose rash behavior and brutality could impact on me.

"Alexis, you should be with Rico." My brother William orders. "He's your husband now."

"You think I don't know that? But he also brought his girlfriend to our wedding. What does that tell you? It tells you either of us wanted this. You made me do this, I... I've lost Marcus because of this! He's gone, because you made me marry someone else!" I cry.

William back hands me across the face. It stings. "Shut up!" he rams his finger in my face. "Watch yourself! Your husband just saved our lives! You'll do well to remember that."

I attempt to slap him back, but he grabs me by the wrist. "Calm down before you make a bigger fool of yourself than you already have."

"Stay away from me!" I hiss. "You make me sick. This whole thing is your fault, anyway!"

William storms from the room, and Ma hands me a cup of tea and rubs my cheek with her thumb where he struck it. "Williams under a lot of pressure, take no notice. He'll apologies when he calms down."

I drop my bottom lip and pout. "I don't want his apology." 

She tucks my hair behind my ear and rubs my hand. "The sacrifice you made for your family today will not go without its own rewards in the future, my Lex. You wait. Someday, you'll get to live the life you want with the man you want to live it with.

"Ma, the only person I want is heartbroken because I married another man. I'll never be happy again. Not with him." I motion my head at Rico. "We both want other people?"

"Yeah, yeah, try taking that back when you're both in love and expecting your first child," Ella says before shoving a biscuit in her mouth.

"I'll never love him!'" I shout at Ella as she walks away. "And the only child I'll have is with Marcus!" 

Rico's head lifts and his hard eyes shoot across the room to me. I gulp and immediately turn to face my mother.

"Lexi! Hush now," Mum hisses, "Are you deliberately trying to provoke Rico? You think he wants you telling everyone in the room you want another man's child?"

My eyes roll. "As if he cares. He couldn't careless who I love, just as long as it's not him. He hates me. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at me."

"How can he hate you when he doesn't even know you?" As Ma takes a bite into a biscuit, one of Rico's security men appears.

"Rico's ready to leave." he informs us.

"Ok," I take a mouthful of my tea. "Tell him I said bye."

He grins. "No, no, he's sent me over here to collect you and your things. You'll be coming with us."

My pulse quickens.

 "That isn't part of the deal," I say as I glare at my mother for backup and reassurance. "Ma, tell him. That wasn't part of the deal. I get to stay here."

Her eyes dart from him to me. "Lex, he's your husband now."

"I don't care. You can't expect me to go live with him."

She sets her cup down and takes hold of my upper arm in a gentle yet forceful manner and leads me a few feet from security. 

"It won't be forever," she whispers. "Maybe he'll let you return when things calm down. Maybe he'll even divorce you. But you must do this for now. I thought you understood that?"

Tears run down my cheeks. I feel like a possession being handed from one person to another without rights or choices.

 "Alright." I sit the cup and saucer on the table and walk from the room.

As I pass the dining area, my eyes connect with Rico. He's tall, lean, and standing in a slight stance and dressed in black trousers and a black shirt — as if he's attending a funeral — his blonde girlfriend also wearing black. 

His hard gaze meets mine only for the briefest moment before he turns away with a snarl.

I give him the discreet finger as I pass. Fuck you too. I'm not ready to give Marcus up either. Instead of packing my cases, I rush towards the back of the house and straight out the back door.

Regardless of the danger, I accept the risk. 

I've done what I had to. I married him. But I refuse to live a miserable life with him. Which is why I need to find Marcus and leave town.

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